At a time when Europe is trying to find its own identity, people with Christian roots need to rediscover the true meaning of Christmas, the head of the Hungarian Evangelical Church said on Monday, ahead of Christmas Eve.

“If we want to preserve Europe’s Christian character, we should not accept to have only symbolic celebrations, but should go find their true essence,” Bishop Tamás Fabiny told MTI.

The holidays are a good opportunity for churches “to go after people” and “step into society” telling its members that “the door of the church is open”, he said. Reformed church leader advises search for silence during the holiday.

The holidays offer people an opportunity to search for silence, the head of the Hungarian Reformed Church’s synod said on Monday, ahead of Christmas Eve. People in the 21st century might be frightened of silence and remaining alone, Istvan Szabó Bogárdi told the Hungarian wire service. “But silence helps us to listen to what is essentially important”, he said.

Christmas is the celebration of a meeting with God who had taken solidarity with people, Cardinal Péter Erdő, the head of the Hungarian Catholic Church, said in an interview on Monday.

It is no surprise that people feel like giving presents to each other at this time of the year considering that ever since God took the shape of a human “we can turn to another person with joy, with the understanding that we can meet Jesus Christ in them,” Erdő said. This joy and this turning towards one another is what makes Christmas so precious, he said.

Featured Image: MTI/Illyés Tibor/ Midnight Mass with Cardinal Péter Erdő in the St. Stephen’s BasilicaVia: MTI